Hey, Rugrat!
by qwerty-kitties
Summary: NEVER FINISHED - When Helga's Aunt Charlotte and cousin Angelica arrive unexpectedly, things begin to spiral out of control. - Written 10 years ago during my HA obsession, with a pinch of Rugrats thrown in for good measure. Enjoy what there is.
1. Chapter 1

**PART 1:**

**ARRIVAL**

"SURPRISE!" Charlotte said as Miriam opened the front door. Miriam's jaw dropped. What was her older sister doing here?

"Oh, Mims, you look fabulous!" the tall blonde exclaimed and pulled her little sister close for a tight hug. Miriam was still in shock. Behind Charlotte were her husband, Drew, and their daughter, Angelica. Finally, Miriam found her tongue and regained the power of speech.

"Char? This is quite a surprise! What are you doing here?" she asked in what she hoped was a casual voice. Charlotte smiled and put her hands on her hips.

"Does a girl need a reason to visit her little sister?"

"Well, I guess not. But it's been so long . . . " Miriam was interrupted by Charlotte's cell phone. Charlotte pulled it out and held up a finger to her sister.

"Just a sec, Mims." She flipped open the phone. "Yes, Jonathan. What? They expect us to accept that bid? Of course not! Now you listen to me, Jonathan, this is what I want you to do . . . " Charlotte walked inside the house, still giving Jonathan orders. Drew looked at Miriam apologetically.

"I'm sorry to barge in on you like this, Miriam," he said. "We were supposed to be in town on a business trip, but that fell through. Then she remembered that you lived here and, well, here we are." He leaned close to her. "Besides, you know how she gets when she's got her mind made up." Miriam sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, I know how she can be." Her sister had always been stubborn. If someone told her she couldn't do something, that just made her want to do it more. And once she made up her mind about something, it was easier to let her get it out of her system than talk her out of it. "Come on in."

Drew carried their luggage inside, followed closely by Angelica.

"Hello, Aunt Miriam!" the little girl said cheerily. "It's nice to see you again!"

"Hello, Angelica. It's nice to see you, too. Helga's upstairs in her room, why don't you go on up and say hello?" Miriam suggested. Angelica smiled and nodded.

"Okay!" she exclaimed, and ran up the stairs.

"Be good, Angel!" Drew called after her.

"Oh, I will, Daddy!" she called back, turned the corner and headed for her cousin's room. She knocked.

"What?" a voice called from the other side. Smiling, Angelica knocked again.

"What do you want?" the voice was angrier and coming closer. Another few taps. Angelica could hear footsteps reach the door and the knob turned.

"What's the matter, don't you understand english?" Helga sneered as she opened her door. When she saw who was on the other side, she stopped cold. "ANGELICA?"

"Hi, Helga!" the girl screamed happily as she jumped up and wrapped her arms around her cousin's neck. She did it with such force that Helga had to grab onto the door jam to keep them from toppling backwards.

"What are you doing here?" Helga asked as she walked over to the bed and pried the girl's arms from her neck. Angelica flopped down on the bedspread with a wide grin on her face.

"One of Mommy's clients couldn't make bail, so she decided she wanted to see Aunt Miriam. We'll be here all week!"

"Really?" Helga asked in shock. "Where will you be staying?" _Not here, not here, not here, not here, PLEASE not here!_

"HERE!" she cried excitedly. "We can hang around and have fun, and best of all, I won't have to put up with any dumb babies!"

"Great."

Meanwhile, downstairs, Charlotte had just hung up and was coming back into the hallway. She smiled at her sister.

"Now, where were we? Oh, yes. I'm sorry to just drop by like this Mims, but a client bailed on us, and I thought, 'When was the last time I saw my little sister?'"

"Well, it has been a while," Miriam agreed. "And we have the empty bedroom upstairs, since Olga left for college. How long are you thinking of staying?"

"Oh, only for about a week. Drew and I took a few vacation days and aren't due back at work until next Tuesday. We thought it might be nice for Angelica to spend some time with some family on my side." Drew nodded.

"Yeah, she's been spending a lot of time with my brother's kids and a couple of other babies from the neighborhood. We thought it might be good for her to spend some time with some older kids. She's sort of mature for her age, you know."

"Uh, huh," Miriam commented as she looked up the stairs. It was awfully quiet up there.

"So where do you keep your toys?" Angelica asked, starting to look through Helga's things.

"Hey!" Helga shouted, trying to catch the little blonde whirlwind. "Cut it out! I don't have any toys!" Angelica ran to the closet and threw open the door. "NO!"

The young girl crawled inside and stopped when she got to the back. There was a curtain strung up, and a faint light coming from behind it. She pulled the curtain back.

"Wow." Angelica stared in shock at what was behind the sheet. There was a little person sitting there, made of odds and ends. Its head was a football, and there were ski's for hair. There were also lots of pictures taped around it, of a boy with blonde hair sticking up in waves, and . . . was his head really shaped like that? The more she looked, the more the boy looked like the object sitting in front of her.

Suddenly a hand grabbed her from behind and yanked her out of the closet. Helga replaced the sheet and then turned to her young cousin.

"Don't you ever, EVER go in there again!" she growled, slamming the door shut. Angelica looked at her in amazement.

"What was that? Who was that boy? He's kind of cute, for a kid with a weird shaped head."

"Nevermind! That's none of your business!" Helga snapped. "Come on, let's go downstairs and see what our mom's are doing."

Before Angelica could say a word, Helga grabbed her hand and practically dragged her downstairs. The adults had moved to the kitchen, and were chatting while sipping coffee.

"Mom, we gotta talk," Helga said, walking in. Drew and Charlotte looked at her with wide eyes.

"Is this Helga?" Charlotte asked, a smile coming to her lips. "Look how big she is! I can't believe how much you've grown!"

"I'll bet she has all the boys just lining up to see her!" Drew added. Helga rolled her eyes.

"Yeah, I'm a regular heartbreaker," she said sarcastically, then turned to her mother. "Mom, I really need to talk to you."

"Okay, Helga." She turned to her guests. "Will you excuse us?"

Charlotte and Drew nodded, and Helga left Angelica with them. Then she and her mother went to the other room to talk. As soon as they were out of earshot, Helga turned to Miriam.

"They can't stay here. Angelica will drive me nuts!"

"Now, honey, calm down. I'm not exactly thrilled they showed up like this, but we barely ever see each other."

"There's a reason for that," Helga replied.

"I know Angelica can get on your nerves, but she really loves you. You're her favorite cousin. She even started wearing her hair in pigtails because you do."

"But Mom! This is the second week of summer vacation! How am I going to enjoy my time off if I have to watch her the whole time? Besides, how's Dad going to react to this? He and Aunt Charlotte don't exactly get along."

"Oh, Helga, it'll only be for a week. You can take her along with you when you go and play with your friends. And Bob will just have to put up with my sister. I had to for almost 18 years," she added quietly.

"Can't they go to a hotel or something?"

"No, they're determined to stay here. Or should I say, SHE'S determined to stay here. And whatever CHARLOTTE wants, Charlotte gets."

Helga was surprised to hear the envy in her mother's voice. She was talking about her sister just like Helga talked about Olga. She sighed.

"Okay, Mom," she said, shrugging. "It's only for a week. I guess I can handle it. How bad could it be?"

"That's my big girl!" Miriam said, smiling. She leaned forward and hugged her daughter. "Don't worry, honey. I'm sure the week will just fly by!"

"It better," Helga mumbled, too low for her mother to hear.

They walked back to the kitchen, and Miriam showed them where they would be staying. The adults would take Olga's room, and Angelica would stay with Helga.

Once everyone was settled, the adults were once again in the kitchen. Drew was telling Miriam about his brother's family and their friends from the neighborhood as Charlotte received three more phone calls.

Meanwhile, Helga and Angelica were in the living room. Helga was flipping through the tv channels, while her cousin dug through her bag. Finally she found what she was looking for, and brought it over to show Helga.

"Look, Helga! This is Cynthia. I gave her hair like you!" she said, showing Helga a little fashion doll with chopped blonde hair. True enough, there were two pieces of hair sticking straight out from the sides of the doll's head.

"Yeah, that's great." Helga returned her attention to the tv. Angelica sat next to her cousin, and watched as Helga flipped through 5 more channels.

"What was that doll in your closet?" she asked after 7 more stations blurred by. Helga turned to the girl and scowled.

"I told you, it's none of your business! And it's not a doll."

"What was it?" Angelica asked. "It looked kinda like that boy in all those pictures. Who's he?"

"Just a boy in my class."

"Why do you have all those pictures of him? Did he move? Do you have those pictures so you don't forget him?"

"Drop it, kid. Just forget about it."

"But, Helga . . . "

"But nothing! Just forget about it, Angelica!" She was about to continue yelling at the girl when a familiar sound came to her ears. "Hey, it's the Jolly Olly man! How about some ice cream, kiddo?" Angelica's eyes grew wide and a smile bloomed on her little face.

"Ice cream! Now you're talking!" she said, beaming. "I'll go ask my Mommy for some money!" And ran off to do so.

The cousins got their ice cream and walked back to the stoop to eat it. Some other kids from Helga's class were coming over as well, Phoebe, Stinky and Harold.

"Hi, Helga. Who's your friend?" Phoebe asked, taking a seat next to her friend.

"Hi, Phoebs. This is my cousin, Angelica. Angelica, this is my best friend, Phoebe. And that's Stinky and Harold." The boys waved to the girl at the mention of their names.

"Hi, Angelica. Are you staying with Helga?" Phoebe asked politely.

"Yeah, my Mommy and Daddy decided to visit my Aunt Miriam. We'll be here for a week. That means I get to stay with Helga!" she exclaimed, leaned over and hugged her cousin. Helga's face turned red.

"Oh, knock it off, you little rugrat," she said jokingly, gently pushing Angelica away. She withdrew, still smiling at Helga. Helga smiled back. The kid could be a little annoying, but she had great taste.

"Helga's my favorite cousin, 'cause she's a growed up kid, like me. At home I have to play with my other cousins. They're just dumb babies, and I have to tell them everything," Angelica was saying around her chocolate ice cream. She had it smeared all over her mouth. Ordinarily Helga would have been embarrassed, but Stinky and Harold had their faces covered with their ice cream, too. Helga rolled her eyes. Boys.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Real interesting," Helga said, then turned to the boys. "Are we playing baseball today, or what?" Harold shrugged.

"We have to find out what Arnold and Gerald are doing. We were going to go over after we finished," he said. Helga nodded.

"Okay, sounds like a plan. Let me go in and tell my Mom so she can keep an eye on Angelica and we'll take off." Angelica looked at Helga with hurt in her eyes.

"But, I wanna stay with you."

"Well, too bad. I can't take you along with me, once we start the game I won't be able to watch you." she said, and went inside.

After about a minute, the kids could hear shouting.

"What do you mean take her with me?" Helga shouted. "Why can't you watch her?" Miriam said something the kids couldn't hear, then Helga was slamming the door and flopping back on the stoop.

"I can't go," she said, sounding highly ticked. "They said I'd have to take her with me, and I can't watch her AND play catcher at the same time."

"Oh, well. Too bad." Harold said, not sounding very disappointed. Stinky nodded.

"Yeah, better luck next time." Phoebe, however, had other ideas.

"Well, we could all take turns keeping an eye on her, Helga." she suggested. I'm sure the other kids wouldn't mind helping out." Harold and Stinky were looking at her unbelievably.

"Well . . . "

"Oh, come on, Helga!" Angelica pleaded. "I'll be good! Let me come, please! Please, please, please, please, PRETTY PLEASE!"

Helga thought for a second, then reluctantly nodded.

"Okay, Angelica. You can come, as long as you stay out of trouble. I'll go get my glove." Helga ran inside. Angelica ran in after her, and the boys looked at Phoebe.

"Thanks a lot, Phoebe," Stinky said.

"Yeah, I was looking forward to at least one game when she didn't pick on me!" Harold added.

"It'll just be for this one time, and she's only a child." Phoebe argued. "How bad could it be?"

The boys exchanged a glance and were about to say something else when the cousins returned. Helga had her mitt, and Angelica had gotten Cynthia.

"Okay," Helga said. "Let's go get Arnoldo and Geraldo."

They left for the boarding house just as Big Bob pulled into the driveway. As usual, he wasn't paying any attention, so he didn't notice his niece with his daughter and her friends. He walked into the kitchen and saw his sister-in-law at the table.

"For crying out loud, what are YOU doing here?" he boomed. Charlotte turned and fixed him with an icy stare.

"I am visiting with my baby sister, if you can't tell. Unfortunately, visiting with her means I'll have to visit with YOU as well." she hissed.

"Oh, yeah, like I'M thrilled to have you here!" he yelled at her. Drew was getting up and heading toward Bob.

"Hey, Bob! Why don't you fill me in on what's going on with your beeper store!" he said, leading Bob away from his sister-in-law. They were both glaring at each other.

"It's gonna be a loooong week," Miriam muttered.

~End of Part 1~


	2. Chapter 2

**PART 2:**

**THE SECRET'S OUT**

Meanwhile, as Big Bob was 'politely' greeting his sister-in-law, Helga and the other kids were on their way to the boarding house.

"Where are we going?" Angelica asked, still holding Helga's hand tightly.

"To meet with a couple of friends." Helga answered, trying to twist her hand from Angelica's monster grip. "Will you loosen up a little? I'm starting to lose the feeling in my fingertips!"

"Sorry, Helga." the little girl answered, and did as she was asked. "Who are we meeting?"

"Some boys in my class."

"Oh."

The group walked in silence until they reached the boarding house. Arnold and Gerald were sitting out front, waiting for them. The two exchanged a questioning glance when they saw a little blonde girl walking with their friends.

"Hi, guys." Arnold greeted, then bent over and put his hands on his knees. "And who's this?"

"For your information, Arnoldo," Helga sneered, "this is my cousin Angelica. Her family is going to be staying with us for the week."

"Oh. Well, it's nice to meet you Angelica." Arnold said, patting the girl on the head. Angelica giggled. "My name is Arnold, and this is Gerald."

"Hiya kid." Gerald said and waved. Another giggle from the girl. Gerald turned his attention to Helga. "So I guess this means we won't be seeing you for the week?" he asked, not sounding too disappointed. Helga scowled.

"You wish, Hair Boy! Oh, I'll be around all right. I just have to bring her with me, that's all. And she's not going to cause ANY TROUBLE. Right?" she asked, looking directly into the young girl's eyes. Angelica had been looking at Arnold with a strange expression, but turned back to Helga immediately.

"Oh, no Helga!" she said innocently. "I'll be a perfect angel! You'll see!" Helga looked at her cousin doubtfully, then turned Phoebe.

"I think we're going to have to keep a close eye on her, Phoebs." she said. "If anything happens to her, my aunt will KILL me." Phoebe nodded.

"Don't worry Helga. We'll keep her properly supervised." Helga smiled and looked back at her cousin, who was looking at Arnold again.

"Helga?" the girl asked. "Isn't that the same boy you have all the pictures of in your closet? And the little doll?"

Helga's heart stopped. Everyone was looking at her, waiting to hear the answer. Her palms were starting to feel wet and cold, and her mouth had gone dry. She laughed nervously.

"I don't know what you're talking about, Angelica." she said, her voice shaking. "There's nothing like that in my closet." Angelica was looking at her cousin, confused.

"You know, Helga." she insisted. "There's a little doll inside your closet, with a football for a head, and it has pointy things for hair, and there's pictures of him all around it." She pointed to Arnold, who was looking at the cousins with wide eyes. Phoebe stepped forward and pulled the young girl back.

"I think you must be mistaken, Angelica." she told her. "Helga doesn't have anything like that in her closet." Angelica was nodding her head forcefully.

"YES SHE DOES!" she cried, near tears. "I saw it this morning when I was looking for toys! And it's HIM! It looks just like HIM!" she screamed, pointing to Arnold again.

While Phoebe tried to quiet Angelica, the rest of the kids were having their own reactions.

Gerald was laughing hysterically.

"YOU? You have a model of ARNOLD? You have his picture all over your CLOSET?" He doubled over in another fit of laughter.

Harold was taunting her in that annoying way of his.

"OOOOOOOOOH! HELGA'S GOT A CRUSH ON AARRNNOOOOOLD! HELGA LOOOOOOOVES AARRRNNOOOOOOLLDD!" He joined Gerald in loud laughter.

Stinky was still trying to catch up.

"But Helga HATES Arnold. Why would she have pictures and a little doll of him in her close-" He stopped when it finally sunk in. His eyes grew wide. "Oh, I get it! Helga's got herself a little shrine to the one she loves! That's so dang funny!" He held his stomach and laughed along with Gerald and Harold.

The boy in question wasn't laughing. Arnold was looking at Helga, his eyes still wide and confused. Helga's heart started beating again, but apparently became confused and thought she was a humming bird. It raced beneath her shirt, making her tremble. Her skin had gone pale, and tears threatened behind her eyes. She was looking at Arnold, as he looked back at her.

_I'm having a heart attack, _she thought wildly. _ My heart's beating so fast soon it's just going to leap from my chest and I'll be dead and then I won't have to face him I won't have to face ANYONE why did I have to bring her here after she saw my shrine why doesn't he just start laughing like the others why doesn't a meteor just fall from the sky and flatten me right now why can't I walk over to these guys and deck them for laughing at me WHY IS HE JUST STARING AT ME LIKE THAT? _

_A doll? _Arnold thought. _Pictures of me? A SHRINE? What on earth does Helga have in her closet? What's it got to do with me? Could Stinky be right? Could Helga really LOVE me? Well then why is she always picking on me like tha- _

Arnold stopped when he remembered Grandpa telling him about the little girl who always picked on HIM. That little girl had been Grandma. She picked on Phil like that because she liked him. Because she LOVED him. They had married, had at least one kid (they didn't like talking to Arnold about his relatives, it upset him) and here he was, their grandson, and in the same predicament. They had been married for a long, long time. And they still loved each other, even though they do tend to squabble quite a bit.

_She picks on me because she likes me, _he realized. _No, that's not quite right. If she just LIKED me, she wouldn't look like her world is collapsing around her right now. She LOVES me. Helga G. Pataki LOVES me. Why didn't she ever say anything before? Why did I have to find out from her little cousin? _

He saw Helga in a new light, once he realized her feelings for him. She was kinda pretty, in her own way. And she wasn't like any of the other girls he had ever known. She always pushed the other kids harder whenever they played any games or sports. He used to find that annoying, but now saw it for what it was. She was trying to toughen the other kids up, and he discovered that, now that he thought about it, she had helped them become better people. She teased them, insulted them, and was basically a jerk to them so they would become more determined to prove her wrong.

All these thoughts flashed through his mind in a matter of seconds. The other boys were still laughing, Phoebe was trying to calm a now hysterical Angelica (the fact that she had upset her favorite cousin deeply troubled the young blonde) and Helga was still looking at him with extreme terror in her eyes. A single tear slipped down her cheek, causing a slight pain within Arnold's heart.

"Helga, I . . . " he started, but could go no further. As soon as she heard her name uttered from the one she loved, Helga had turned and ran.

The tears were coming faster, blurring her vision. She barely saw Phoebe and Angelica as she plowed through them, wanting, needing to get away. She fiercely scrubbed at her wet cheeks, wanting to be rid of the horrid tears, only to have more take their place. Her entire world had crumbled around her in a single afternoon. Everyone would soon know her secret. Her life was over. She ran faster.

Back at the boarding house, the boys were finally starting to get themselves under control. Phoebe led a still crying Angelica to the steps and sat her down.

"I didn't mean to hurt her feelings!" the little girl cried into Phoebe's lap. "I love Helga! I don't want her to be mad at me!"

"Shh. Calm down, Angelica." Phoebe soothed, stroking the girl's hair. "What's done is done."

"But now she hates me! She'll never talk to me again! All because I tattled about the stuff in her closet!"

"Man, that is the funniest thing I ever heard!" Gerald said, wiping the tears his laughter had produced from his eyes. "I mean, Helga Pataki? In love with YOU?" He pointed at Arnold and went into another fit. Harold and Stinky had joined them on the steps.

"Oh, man!" Harold said. "Wait 'til all the other kids hear about this! Helga will never be able to boss anyone around in PS 118 again! This is GREAT!"

"Yeah," Stinky agreed. "We shore got ourselves a good bit of information on her, don't we fellers? I reckon she'd do anything to keep us quiet." Gerald stopped laughing at once and looked at Stinky with a gleam in his eye.

"Hey, yeah! We could get her to do anything for us! All we have to do is threaten to tell everyone about her little secret and she'll have to do it!"

"This'll be GREAT!" Harold shouted.

Arnold had kept quiet as the boys regained their composure, but now as they talked of blackmailing Helga, he couldn't keep quiet (or his temper) any longer. He stepped in front of the stoop, his eyes narrowed to slits and his fists clenched.

"You're not going to do ANYTHING to her." he said through gritted teeth. The other kids looked at him in complete surprise. They had never heard Arnold this angry.

"What?" Gerald asked, looking confused.

"You heard me, Gerald. You and Stinky and Harold aren't going to say anything about what just happened. You're not going to do anything to Helga, either. You're just going to forget all about it." The three boys looked at him in disbelief.

"Come on, Arnold!" Harold pleaded. "This is the perfect chance to get back at her for everything she's ever done to us! This secret is too juicy NOT to tell!" The other two nodded in agreement. Arnold shook his head.

"NO. And I can't believe you guys are so eager to blab about something as sensitive as this! Gerald, remember when everyone found out you couldn't ride a bike? Remember how much it hurt when they teased you?" Gerald grimaced at the memory and hung his head.

"You're right, man." he said quietly. "I forgot about that."

"Stinky, how about the time you wanted me to help you get Helga to be your girlfriend? Remember how much you cried because she didn't like you like you back?" Stinky nodded slowly.

"Yeah, I remember Arnold. I was plumb inconsolable for a time."

"And Harold. How would you like it if we went around and told everybody that you own one of those stuffed Wally dolls? Or maybe we tell Rhonda that you really like her instead of Patty." Harold looked terrified.

"NO! You wouldn't tell her that, would you?" he asked, getting to his knees. "Please Arnold, I'm begging you! Don't say anything like that to Rhonda! Oh please please please PLEASE!"

"Calm down, Harold. I won't say anything to her. The point I'm trying to make is everyone has secrets. This one was obviously very important to Helga, and I really don't appreciate the fact that you guys are ready, willing and able to spread it across the city, especially when you know how much it would hurt her."

The three boys hung their heads, feeling incredibly ashamed of themselves. Arnold was right. Their secrets were just as damaging and hurtful as this one. They had put themselves into Helga's position and didn't like the things they had felt.

"You're right, Arnold." Gerald told his friend. "I'm sorry I acted like such a jerk. I won't say anything."

"Yeah, I guess it woulda been kinda mean." Stinky agreed. "My lips are zipped, Arnold."

"Aw, I really wanted to get her!" Harold pouted. "But I won't say anything either. Heck, I probably won't remember this by next week anyway." Arnold smiled.

"Great! I'm glad you guys changed your minds. But there is something I still need to know." he said and walked to where Phoebe was sitting. Angelica's head was still in her lap, but now the girl was sleeping, worn out by recent events. Arnold sat next to Phoebe, and when he spoke, he was careful to keep his voice low.

"You knew about this, didn't you?" Phoebe looked at him nervously.

"Why do you ask?"

"You were the only one who didn't look shocked when Angelica told about the stuff in Helga's closet. You tried to cover it up and lead Angelica away." He watched as a blush spread over his friend's face. "You knew this whole time. Why didn't you tell me? Why didn't SHE tell me?" Phoebe lowered her head and stroked the sleeping girl's hair distractedly.

"She was too shy. Too scared." She raised her head and looked Arnold in the eyes. "She's loved you for a long time, Arnold. It's just that, well, she never thought she was good enough for you. Her home life isn't the best, she's pretty much ignored by her parents. The only time they pay any attention to her is when they compare her to her sister, Olga."

The boys were all looking at her in shock. They never knew this about Helga, even though they had known her for almost their entire lives.

"You were the first person to give her half a chance, Arnold." Phoebe continued. "You were the first person to see past her behavior to the real Helga underneath. Well, besides me, that is."

"Is that why she . . . " He hesitated. " . . . loves me? Because I pay attention to her? Because I see her for who she is, instead of who she appears to be?"

Phoebe nodded.

"I think so. But I can't say for sure, she never REALLY talked to me about you. All I know I've mostly deduced. I didn't know anything about the stuff in her closet, but I don't think Angelica would lie about something she's so sure of. You saw how upset she became." Arnold looked at the girl in Phoebe's lap. Angelica twitched in her sleep, then was still.

"Yeah, she pretty much lost it when Helga ran off." His eyes grew wide when he realized what he said. "Oh my gosh! Helga! Phoebe where do you think she went?"

"I don't know. She might have gone home, or to the treehouse, or to Sammy's house. She could still be running for all I know." A look of worry was slowly working its way across Phoebe's face. "You don't think she'll do something crazy, do you?"

"I don't know, Phoebe. But I really don't like the idea of her out there with her emotions going haywire like this. She could hurt herself." Arnold stood and started pacing back and forth on the sidewalk, trying to think of what to do. He stopped when Gerald put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey, man. You know as well as I do that she's probably at Sam's. Me and Phoebs will take the kid back to Helga's house and check there, while Harold and Stinky check out the treehouse. You head on over to Sam's and see if she's there." Arnold was shaking his head.

"She can't be at Sammy's. Sam went out of town to visit her family." He thought for a moment, then turned to his friends. "You guys head on over to her house, I'll take the treehouse. There's no sense all of us running around all over the place if she's sitting in her room crying. I'll check out the treehouse, and if she's not there, I'll come over and we'll go from there."

"You got it buddy." Gerald said, smiling. Then he turned to the other boys. "Well, you heard the man. Let's go."

Stinky walked forward and lifted the sleeping girl from Phoebe's lap. Angelica mumbled something, called out her cousin's name once, then fell back into a deeper sleep. He cradled the girl to his chest, moving her this way and that until he found a position comfortable enough to carry her back to Helga's house.

"Okay, fellers." he said quietly. "Let's get goin'."

The four kids headed toward Helga's house, Stinky carrying Angelica. Arnold watched them go, and once they were out of sight, he ran upstairs to his room. A minute later he was back on the street, running toward Mighty Pete, and the treehouse. With every step he took, he prayed he would find Helga there.

~End of Part 2~


	3. Chapter 3

**PART 3:**

**BACK AT THE HOUSE**

While the kids moved closer to the point where Angelica would ruin her cousin's life, Miriam was starting to feel more and more uneasy with her sister.

"So then I told him, 'If you don't like the way I'm running this company, then don't let the door hit you on the way out!'" Charlotte said, and laughed at the memory it brought. Miriam smiled politely.

"That's great, Char. Really." Charlotte stopped laughing and looked at her sister with narrowed eyes.

"Are you all right, Mims? You don't look well." She clicked her tongue and rolled her eyes. "I should have known marrying HIM would just ruin your life. Look at you! You've fallen into the classic housewife role. I'd compare you to Didi, but at least SHE works 9 months out of the year. And she's got a new baby in the house."

"I know, you told me." Miriam said, sounding fed up with the whole conversation. Charlotte looked at her sharply.

"Well I'm just trying to help you, Mims! I don't want you to settle for this life forever! You could be so much more! Why can't you be more like-"

"You?" Miriam asked sarcastically. "I can't tell you how many times I've heard THAT in my life! And I HATED it every single time! I'm NOT you, Charlotte! I'll never BE you! Please stop trying to make me your twin!"

Charlotte was looking at her sister with surprise. For once in her life, she was speechless. Her cell phone rang once. Twice. A third time. She fumbled with the flip for a minute, finally getting it open on the fifth ring.

"Jonathan, I can't talk now. I'll call you back later." she said, and promptly hung up. She tossed her phone into her purse, then looked back at her sister.

"I never knew you felt like this, Mims. I don't want you to be my TWIN, I just want you to be happy. I don't want you to look back on things and wish you had done them differently." she said quietly. Miriam sighed, shook her head, then looked back at her older sister.

"Char, I have a successful husband, two beautiful daughters, and a lovely home."

"Are you happy?"

"Charlotte, we all choose different things in life . . . "

"Are you happy?" she asked again.

"Char-"

"Miriam, are you happy?" she demanded. Miriam looked at her, then looked toward the living room where Bob was sitting with Drew. She could hear Bob's booming voice from where she sat, no doubt complaining about one thing or another. She sighed deeply.

"No, I'm not." she answered quietly. "And I haven't been for a long time. Ever since he became the 'Beeper King', he spends more time at the store, or THINKING about the store than he does with me." Charlotte nodded, and patted her sister's hand.

"That's what I thought. What about Helga?"

"Helga acts just like him sometimes. It's bad enough the poor kid got his eyebrow and droopy ears, but I think she also got his personality. She can be just as hard to talk to as he is."

"How does he act around her?" Miriam laughed sharply.

"He barely acknowledges her existence. All he cares about is Olga and her trophies. He doesn't even know how old Helga is. And he calls her by her sister's name all the time. He's always on her case to be more like her sister, be a WINNER. If you have the Pataki name, you have to be a winner."

Miriam looked up and saw the determined look on her sister's face that she knew so well. She inwardly groaned. What had she started?

"Well, we can fix that." Charlotte stated, and stood up. Miriam shot up and looked at her sister worriedly.

"What are you going to do?" she asked shakily. Charlotte was moving to the living room, the determined look never leaving her face.

"Something that should have been done a long time ago."

In the living room, Bob and Drew were watching TV. Drew didn't look very interested in what Bob had chosen to watch (the Sports Channel) but he kept quiet in an effort to keep Bob and Charlotte apart. He looked up when his wife entered the room.

"Oh, no." he muttered when he noticed the expression on her face. Bob looked up and frowned.

"What do YOU want?" he asked, returning his attention to the TV. Charlotte stepped directly in front of Bob, blocking the TV. "What's the big idea?"

"Listen up you chauvinistic, knuckle-dragging, uni-browed Neanderthal! I don't know what glacier you crawled out of, but chip the ice out of your limp ears because I'm only going to say this once." she said sternly. Drew and Miriam groaned. Bob stared at Charlotte, his brow dropping to his eyes in the familiar Pataki scowl.

"What did you say?" he growled. Drew had moved beside Charlotte and was trying to quiet her. Charlotte, however, would not be quieted.

"You heard me you big ox! Now listen close, and try to understand what I'm saying. We're leaving tonight-"

"That's the best news I've heard all day!" Bob interrupted. "Don't let the door hit you on the way out, sister!"

"We're leaving tonight and we're taking Miriam and Helga with us. I've stood by too long and watched you treat my little sister like a doormat. You're the most selfish, self-absorbed, self-centered man I have ever met in my entire life! As soon as Helga and Angelica get back, we're packing up and leaving here. Miriam will start the divorce procedure tomorrow, and I'll have my best lawyers on her side. When I get through with you, you'll be lucky to have a dime to call your own!"

Bob stared at Charlotte as what she said sunk in. When it did, his eyes grew wide and he jumped out of his chair, turning to Miriam who was standing in the doorway.

"WHAT IS SHE TALKING ABOUT, MIRIAM?" he boomed, making her flinch. "You can't leave! You wouldn't last out there! Who'll take care of you and Olga?" Miriam suddenly looked up and glared at Bob.

"Helga, Bob." she growled. "Our other daughter's name is HELGA!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. Who's gonna take care of you? Where are you gonna live?" Charlotte stepped between them, her eyes narrowed to slits.

"I'LL take care of them." she informed him. "They'll stay with us until Miriam can get on her feet. Helga will flourish in a more loving environment, and best of all, YOU WON'T BE ANYWHERE NEAR THEM!"

Bob stared at Charlotte for a minute, then turned to Drew.

"What do you say about this?" he demanded. "Are you just going to stand there and let her decide everything?" Drew looked at Bob, glanced at his wife and Miriam, then looked back at the big man.

"She's right, Bob." he said confidently. "You're a loud, boarish, ogre of a man, and you treat your family very poorly. It would be better for Miriam and Helga to get away from you."

A familiar scowl spread across Bob's face, making Drew more than a little nervous.

"I guess we know who wears the pants in YOUR family." he muttered, then turned back to the women in the doorway. "You want to leave? FINE! You take the girl and get out! But I'm gonna get my OWN lawyers and we'll just see who's gonna be lucky to have a dime!" he boomed.

"Bring it on, Pataki!" Charlotte spat at him. Bob sneered at her for a moment, then turned and stormed out of the house. A minute later, the three heard tires squeal as Bob tore out of the garage.

"Oh, Charlotte." Miriam moaned. "What have you done?" Charlotte looked at her sister, surprised.

"We've saved you, Mims." she answered. "Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't feel better. Look me in the eyes and tell me you would rather live with that MAN than with people who care about you." Char stepped closer to Miriam and put her hands on the younger woman's shoulders.

"Look me in the eyes and tell me you don't want to divorce him, and I will apologize to him as soon as he comes back. Then we'll go. And I don't know if we'll be back. Ever." she said quietly. "I can't bear to see the way he treats you and Helga. You deserve so much more, sis. So does Helga." Miriam looked deeply into her sister's eyes and burst into tears.

"You're right, Char." Miriam sobbed. "You're right about everything. I shouldn't have let it go this long, but I was scared! I didn't know what to do!"

"It's okay now, Mims." Charlotte soothed, stroking her sister's hair. "It's going to be okay from now on."

As Charlotte comforted her sister, Phoebe, Stinky, Gerald and Harold were cringing outside the window. Angelica was still sleeping, much to Gerald's surprise. How could the kid sleep through all that screaming? The window was open and the kids had heard the whole thing.

"Helga's parents are getting divorced?" Phoebe asked, stunned. Gerald took her hand and gave a reassuring squeeze.

"Maybe it's all for the best." he said, not really believing it. "You know how her dad is. Maybe Helga would mellow out if he was out of the picture."

"But you heard her aunt!" Phoebe whispered harshly. "She's going to take them with her! She's taking Helga away!" Tears slipped from her eyes. Gerald had never felt so helpless in his life.

Phoebe put her face in her hands and cried quietly. Gerald did the only thing he could think of. He wrapped his arms around her and comforted her. Harold and Stinky looked on, faces full of worry.

"What do we do, Gerald?" Stinky asked. "Should we go in? Should we wait on the steps for Arnold?"

"Maybe we should go back to the boarding house." Harold suggested. Gerald shook his head.

"Arnold will be expecting us here." he said. "We'll give him another 15 minutes, and if he doesn't show, then we'll know Helga was at the treehouse. We'll start over there."

"What are we going to tell her, Gerald?" Phoebe asked worriedly. "Should we just tell her what we heard? What if she doesn't believe us? What if Arnold said the wrong thing to her and she ran again? What if-"

"There's no sense wondering 'what if' when we don't even know if he found her or not." Gerald interrupted. "15 minutes. Then we'll go to the treehouse."

The other kids nodded in agreement and ducked into the alley beside the house. Stinky shifted Angelica's sleeping form into a more comfortable position for him and smiled as she clutched his shirt.

"This is going to be the longest 15 minutes of my life." Phoebe muttered.

Gerald couldn't agree with her more.

~End of Part 3~


	4. Chapter 4

**PART 4:**

**THE CLEANSING**

While Charlotte decided to end her sister's marriage, Arnold was running as fast as his legs would carry him toward Mighty Pete.

After an eternity, he finally arrived. He stood below the treehouse, holding onto the bottom board of the makeshift ladder, trying to catch his breath. Sobs drifted to his ears, floating down from the structure above him. He smiled.

_She's here! _he thought, relieved. _ Thank goodness I found her. _

Once he got his second wind, Arnold took one more deep breath, held it, released. He had never been so scared or excited in his young life. He checked to assure himself he still had the object he had brought from his room, then began climbing. Toward the treehouse. Toward Helga.

Helga sat in the corner of the treehouse, knees drawn to her chin, face in her hands, softly crying. It was over. Her secret was out, her love knew about her feelings for him. For the first time in her life, Helga G. Pataki had no idea what to do next. She couldn't think, her brain was too busy flashing 'ARNOLD KNOWS!' in bright neon letters 20 feet high. The one thing that was both her greatest fear AND her fondest wish had finally come true. Arnold knew. That knowledge filled Helga not with joy, but dread. It sat in her belly like a stone.

_What do I do now? _she asked herself. _I can't face him again. I can't face ANY of them again. I can't believe this happened just because Angelica was looking for toys! WHAT DO I DO NOW?_

"Helga?" a voice called softly from the doorway. Helga snapped out of her thoughts and raised her head. She moaned when she saw the boy standing there.

"Go away, Arnold." she pleaded. "PLEASE go away!" Arnold shook his head.

"I'm not leaving, Helga." he told her. "I think we need to talk." She moaned again, and fresh tears spilled from her eyes.

"No we don't!" she cried, trying desperately to summon her anger to take care of this. But apparently her fury had gone on vacation without notifying her, leaving only fear and worry. "We don't have to talk about this, we don't even have to THINK about it! Just forget this whole day, okay Arnold? You never met my cousin, you never spoke to her, and we were never here. Just turn around and go home Arnold. Please?" He shook his head again, a determined look on his young face.

"No, Helga." he said, entering the treehouse. "Like it or not, your secret is out. Nothing you can do will change that. We can go about this one of two ways. Either you can sit up here crying all day and feeling sorry for yourself, or we can sit down and talk it out." She looked at him with wide eyes.

"Talk it out?" she whispered. "What is there to talk about? I love you, I have since we were little kids, but you don't even LIKE me! That's all there is to it." He shook his head a third time, and came closer to her. She scooted further into the corner, looking petrified.

"Don't come any closer, Arnold! We can talk if you want, just PLEASE stay there!" she begged. "It already hurts to SEE you after what happened, but if you were any closer to me . . . " She shook her own head, turning toward the corner and away from him.

Arnold stopped where he was, feeling extremely helpless. Everything he did seemed to cause her pain. Her shoulders trembled, she was either crying again, or very scared. Arnold had an idea it might have been a little of both.

His mind worked frantically. Suddenly an idea flashed. He sat down, legs crossed. He pulled the object he had brought from his room out of his pocket, and placed it on the floor in front of him. It was a little pink book. The same little pink book he and Gerald had found on the bus that day, all those months ago.

"'H is for the head I'd like to punt,'" he recited from memory. "'E is for every time I see the little runt. L is my longing for our firstest kiss.'" He stopped because that was when Helga had come running up and torn the page from the book as he read it on the front steps of the school.

Helga had stopped shaking when he spoke, and now she sat still as stone.

"How did the rest go, Helga?" he asked gently. "How did it end? I've always wondered."

She sat silently for a while, and he was beginning to think she wasn't going to answer. Then her shoulders slumped and she sighed deeply.

"'G is how good that longing is.'" she said quietly. "'And A is for Arnold.'" She turned and looked at him sadly. "Of course." He smiled.

"And if you put all the letters together, they spell your name. H-E-L-G-A." He shook his head slowly. "No wonder you tore that page out." She continued to look at him as he pushed the book forward. "I think this is yours."

"I can understand if you're disappointed." she said softly. He shook his head and smiled sweetly.

"I'm not disappointed, Helga. I'm surprised. I never knew you could write poetry like this. It's pretty good. Even if it IS all about me." he said, a blush spreading over his cheeks. She smiled slowly. "This shows me an entirely different side to you. I've always thought you weren't as bad as you seemed. This proves it."

"You liked the poems?" she asked quietly. He nodded, smiling.

"Very much. Of course, I'm not very impartial. They all WERE about me, after all." he said, starting to laugh. Her smile grew and she laughed a little.

"Yeah, I guess you wouldn't be the best person to judge them." she giggled, then quieted. She looked at him seriously. "But you're the only one that matters. I don't care what other people think of them."

"I just can't believe you wrote enough poems about me to fill an entire book." he said softly. She shifted uneasily, looking away. "What's the matter?"

"Well," she started, trying to find the courage to tell him. "THAT wasn't the only book of poetry I wrote about you. That was just the one I happened to lose on the bus." Arnold looked at her questioningly.

"There are others?" he asked, amazed. She nodded. "How many more?"

"Right now I'm up to volume 14." she said, looking worriedly for his reaction. "I usually write a few pages every night before I go to bed. In front of my-" She slapped a hand over her mouth before she could say it, but Arnold knew what she was going to say anyway.

"Your 'shrine'?" he asked gently. New tears fell from her eyes as she nodded, not trusting herself to speak. He reached forward and took her hand tenderly. "It's okay, Helga, don't be afraid to tell me the truth. I won't make fun of you, or tell everyone or anything like that. I know you're hurting right now, and I want to help you." She looked at him suddenly, eyes wide.

"What about THEM?" she asked, referring to the group of kids now waiting in the alley beside her house. "They all laughed! They'll never forget this! I won't be able to show my face at PS 118 ever again!" She was starting to shake, practically hysterical at the thought. Arnold scooted forward and took her face in his hands.

"Helga, calm down." he soothed. "After you left I had a little talk with those guys and they won't say anything about this. I promise you." His warm hands on her cheeks did more to calm her than anything he could have said. The butterflies in her stomach flew crazily at his touch.

"Really?" she whispered. He nodded. She was quiet for a moment as she regained the power of coherent thought. His hands left her face, then found her hands that were distractedly opening and closing the cover of the pink book. The took them into his own and gave a brief squeeze.

"Really." he answered, smiling. "I reminded them of their own little secrets, and asked them how they would feel if I told everyone about them. Needless to say, they looked sick just thinking about that. They agreed to keep your secret to themselves." She smiled back at him, and gave his hands a squeeze.

"Thank you, Arnold." she whispered. "I guess I'm kinda glad you found out how I feel about you. Even if you don't feel the same way about me." He looked at her questioningly.

"When did I say that?" he asked. "I may not LOVE you, Helga, but I do like you. And now that I found the REAL Helga, the one underneath the toughgirl," He shrugged. "Who knows? If she can write 14 books of poetry about me, and have a shrine in her closet dedicated to me, well then maybe she's a girl I should start paying a little more attention to." Her eyebrow shot up.

"Really?" she asked for the second time. "You mean you want to . . . "

"I want to get to know the REAL Helga. The one I'm seeing right now. I already know Helga the bully, and she can be a real pain in the neck sometimes." She blushed. "Now I want to know Helga the girl. I want to know her likes and dislikes, her hopes and fears, her wishes and dreams." She was staring at him, an expression of pure shock on her pale face.

"No one's ever cared about me enough to want to know that stuff." she said softly. "Well, except Sammy and Phoebs. I don't even think my parents know any of that." She studied him closely. "You're not joking are you? Getting me back for all the things I've ever done to you?" He gave her a slight smile.

"I think you know me better than that. Would I do something like that to ANYONE?" he asked. She thought for a second, then shook her head smiling. Of course Arnold wouldn't do that. That was part of the reason she loved him so much.

"Pretty dumb question, huh?" she asked, feeling relieved. "Criminey, what a day. My cousin shows up for a week, she finds out my secret, blabs it to the one person who wasn't supposed to know, making me think my life is over, only to end up here . . . with you." She smiled at him, and he smiled back. Suddenly a thought flashed in her head.

"Oh, CRIMINEY!" she exclaimed, smile dropping from her lips. "ANGELICA! I forgot all about her! Where is she? Is she okay? My aunt's going to KILL ME!" He laughed slightly and put a restraining hand on her shoulder.

"Whoa! Hold on! It's okay, Helga. The other kids took her back to your house and are waiting for us there. We could start over if you want." She thought for a second, then shook her head.

"I'd like to stay here for a little while longer, if it's okay with you." He smiled.

"It's fine with me, Helga." he said, making her smile. "I don't mind at all."

He took her hands once more, and they sat, quietly enjoying each other's company.

Meanwhile, back in the alley of Helga's house, the kids were starting to get antsy. After 10 minutes, Phoebe kicked a garbage can, making a stray cat run in search of quieter surroundings.

"I can't take this anymore!" she cried, and pushed past the boys on her way to the treehouse. Harold looked at Gerald worriedly.

"Shouldn't we do something?" he asked. Gerald watched as the small girl walked quickly and steadily toward Mighty Pete. He shrugged and started following her.

"You wanna stop her?" he called back. Harold and Stinky exchanged a glance, then started after their friends.

After a few minutes, Phoebe arrived at their treehouse and climbed up. She looked inside and relief flooded through her when she saw her two friends.

"Helga!" she exclaimed and rushed in, sitting beside her. "I'm so glad Arnold found you! I was so worried!" The smaller girl threw her arms around Helga and hugged her tightly.

"Yeah, yeah, yeah. Okay, Phoebs." Helga joked. "Cool it will ya? You're as bad as Olga!" Phoebe released her friend and sat back, looking at Arnold and Helga alternately.

"Sorry, Helga. Are you okay? Did you two . . . talk about . . ." she stammered. Helga and Arnold smiled.

"Yeah, we talked about it." Arnold informed her. "Everything's cool." Helga nodded, still smiling.

"Very cool." she added.

Phoebe smiled for a minute, then a look of worry replaced it. Helga noticed the change in her friend's face and got worried herself. She was about to ask Phoebe if she was okay when the boys arrived. Gerald shot in first, followed by Harold with Stinky bringing up the rear. Arnold had time to marvel at the fact that the tall boy had been able to climb up here while still carrying Angelica, who was just starting to stir.

"Man, am I glad to see you two!" Gerald exclaimed, sitting next to Arnold. He looked at Helga. "Are you okay?" he asked quietly. She rolled her eyes.

"Like you care." she sighed. "All right you guys. Let's get it over with. Get all the teasing out of your systems before you explode or something. Come on, I haven't got all day." The boys looked at each other uneasily.

"We're not going to tease you, Helga." Gerald said. Harold nodded.

"Yeah, we're not going to say anything about it either." he added. Stinky nodded as he sat down and plopped Angelica in his lap.

"That's right. We figure it's your business and just between you and Arnold." he said as Angelica opened her eyes and looked around her. When she saw her cousin, her sleepy eyes grew wide and she practically flew from his lap into Helga's.

"Oh, Helga I'm so sorry!" she cried, fresh tears coming to her eyes. "I never would have said anything if I knew it was a secret! Please don't hate me! Please, Helga! I didn't mean to!" The girl burst into tears and hugged Helga tight. Helga smiled and hugged her back.

"Angelica, it's okay." she soothed as she stroked the young girl's hair. "I was a little upset when you told, but Arnold and I had a nice talk and now everything's cool."

"Very cool." Arnold added. She looked up and smiled happily at him. He smiled back.

"So you're not mad at me?" Angelica asked, sniffling. Helga shook her head.

"Nope. You can be annoying sometimes, and a real pain in the neck, but you're still my cousin. And I guess I still love you." she joked, making the little girl laugh.

"I still love you too, Helga!" she said, squeezing her older cousin tighter. The other kids looked on, smiling. They had never seen this side of Helga before. It was a pleasant surprise.

The two blonde girls hugged for a moment, then Helga looked up.

"So what did you bring her here for?" she asked them. "Arnold said you guys took her home and were going to wait for us there." The kids looked worriedly at each other, then all eyes were on Gerald.

"Well, we DID go to your house . . . " he started, struggling to find the best way to phrase what they had discovered. "But we . . . uh . . . got tired of waiting." That was sort of the truth. Helga didn't buy it.

"Got tired of waiting?" she asked suspiciously. "How long were you guys there?"

"Too long." Harold muttered.

"What does that mean?" Arnold asked. Helga was looking at the boys with narrowed eyes.

"What's going on? Why do you guys look like you just burned my house down? You didn't did you?" she asked. Gerald looked at her, annoyed.

"Of course not!" he snapped.

"Then what's going on?" she asked, getting angry. She didn't like the way they were acting. Not one bit.

The boys stammered and shuffled uneasily for a few minutes. They mumbled things like 'Nothing's wrong' and 'I don't want to say'. Helga's fury had finally returned, and now she let it loose upon them with full force.

"ALL RIGHT YOU BUNCH OF GEEKS! I WANT TO KNOW WHAT'S GOING ON, AND I WANT TO KNOW RIGHT NOW!" she screamed, making Angelica jump. Arnold reached forward and gently pulled the young girl into his lap.

Gerald, Stinky and Harold exchanged a quick glance, then all three looked down at Phoebe. The small girl blushed furiously, lowering her head. Helga turned to face her.

"What's going on, Phoebe?" she asked angrily. Phoebe looked up into Helga's eyes, then quickly turned away.

"Well . . . Helga, I really don't know how to tell you this." she said quietly. Helga's heart stopped for the second time that day. If Phoebe had a hard time telling, it must be bad.

"Just spit it out, Phoebs." she told the girl. "Spill it." Phoebe took a deep breath, then let it out in a long sigh. She asked for it.

"We went to your house to wait for you and Arnold," she started. "The windows were open and while we were there, we accidentally overheard your parents and your aunt and uncle arguing. Your Aunt Charlotte told your dad that she was going to take you and your mother with them when they leave tonight. She called your father a number of insults, then informed him that tomorrow your mother would start divorce proceedings. He became incredibly angry and stormed out." She sat and waited for Helga's reaction. The blonde laughed.

"That's a good one, Phoebs!" she said, with a hint of worry in her voice. "My parents? Divorce? HAH! As if Big Bob would even ALLOW that! Great joke, Phoebe."

Her best friend said nothing.

"Come on, Phoebs." Helga urged. "What really happened?"

Silence from Phoebe.

Helga looked from Phoebe to Gerald. Same expression. To Harold. Worry. Stinky. Looked away. Without another word, Helga pushed through Harold and Gerald and descended the treehouse ladder as fast as she could.

"HELGA!" Arnold shouted as she ran for home as fast as her legs would carry her. Behind him, Harold was hoisting Angelica onto Stinky's back for the climb down.

"Come on!" Phoebe shouted as she started for the ladder. "She's going to need us!" Gerald was right behind her, followed closely by Harold and Stinky. Arnold lingered behind for a moment, in shock.

_How could our lives change so quickly in such a short period of time? _he asked himself. _Poor Helga. First her biggest secret is revealed, now her parents are divorcing. And she's going to have to lea-_

His eyes widened as the thought of Helga leaving hit him fully. He turned, grabbed the pink book, and sprinted after his friends.

All the way to Helga's house, only one thought passed through Arnold's head.

She can't leave.

She can't leave.

She CAN'T leave.

She CAN'T leave!

SHE CAN'T LEAVE!

~End of Part 4~


	5. Chapter 5

**PART 5:**

**CONFRONTATION**

Helga arrived home minutes later, exhausted and completely out of breath. Miriam and Charlotte were already packing some things into the older sister's minivan. They looked up when they heard Helga panting behind them.

"Helga!" Miriam exclaimed, looking at her daughter's wet cheeks, pale face and mussed appearance. "What's wrong? Are you all right?" She went to her daughter and helped her to the stoop, sitting her down.

". . . Are you . . . and Dad . . . getting . . . a divorce?" Helga panted, trying to catch her breath. Miriam looked taken aback by this question.

"Helga, how did you . . . "

"ARE YOU?" Helga shouted hoarsely. Miriam looked at the expression in the girl's eyes and nodded slowly.

"Yes, Helga. We are." she said, sounding determined. "Charlotte made me realize how miserable I am. How miserable I've been for a long time."

"But what about ME?" Helga asked, fresh tears threatening behind her eyes. "Don't I get a say in this?" Miriam looked at her daughter lovingly.

"Honey, I'm doing this for you, too." she said softly, taking Helga's face into her hands. "I know you and your father don't get along. I know he always calls you by your sister's name. I know that he . . . well, truth be told, we BOTH pretty much ignored you. For that I'm so very sorry, sweetie. We never gave you the love you so much deserved." Tears were forming in Miriam's eyes.

Helga couldn't believe what she was hearing. Her mother was actually bad mouthing Big Bob. AND herself. Miriam leaned forward and hugged Helga tightly.

"I'm so sorry, honey." Miriam whispered as her tears fell. "I should have done this a long time ago. I never should have let it get this bad. You deserve so much and we, I, never gave you anything. I love you more than anything, my baby girl. I'm so very sorry I never told you before."

Helga sat silently for a moment, listening to her mother apologize. She felt the tears her mother was shedding hitting her back. She felt her mother's heart, beating very fast beneath her dress. Most of all, she felt the love she had always wanted from her. Love she had only gotten before from Sammy. A mother's love.

"I love you too, Mom." Helga whispered as she hugged Miriam back. She felt her tears slipping down her face, and this time, she didn't care. Her mother loved her. Soon Big Bob would be out of their lives. Arnold knew of her feelings, and hadn't laughed. He wanted to get to know her better. Things had started out so wrong, and yet turned out right.

The other kids had finally reached Helga's house, panting and holding their sides, rubbing the stitches that had developed there. Stinky doubled over to catch his breath, and when he did, Angelica jumped down and ran toward her mother.

"There you are, Angel." Charlotte said, taking her daughter into her arms. "Where have you been, sweetie?" Angelica smiled widely as she hugged her mother.

"I was with Helga and her friends!" the young blonde exclaimed. "They're really nice!" Charlotte smiled, then looked toward the other kids, who were slowly coming closer.

"Well, thank you all for keeping an eye on Angelica." she told them. "I hope she wasn't any trouble." Arnold and Phoebe exchanged a glance, then looked back at Charlotte.

"Let's just say she kept things interesting." Phoebe said quietly, a small smile on her lips. Arnold nodded, also smiling.

"Very interesting." he added. He glanced over at the stoop, where Helga and Miriam were just starting to pull apart.

"So, what happens now?" the daughter asked quietly. "Do we really have to leave?" Miriam wiped the tears from her cheeks, then started wiping her daughter's.

"I'm afraid so, sweetie." she answered. "I know this will be hard on you, but I think it will be for the best if we were away from HIM while the divorce proceedings are taken care of." Helga sighed deeply.

"But Mom, I don't want to go." she whispered, the tears close again. "I've got friends here. Really, really GOOD friends. I don't want to leave them. And I don't want to start over in a new school." Miriam smiled weakly.

"I know, baby. But we HAVE to go. And who knows, we might be back. There are plenty of jobs in this city, and I can always get us an apartment somewhere." she said, stroking her daughter's hair lovingly.

"Um, excuse me, Mrs. Pataki?"

Mother and daughter looked up to see Arnold and Phoebe slowly walking toward them. Arnold met Helga's gaze, and gave her an encouraging smile. She smiled back weakly.

"Yes?" Miriam asked.

"Perhaps Helga could stay with one of us?" Phoebe suggested. "There is an extra bedroom in my house, and Arnold's boarding house has a number of empty rooms." Arnold nodded.

"That's right. If I explain your situation to my Grandpa, I'm sure he'll give you a special rate or something on one of them. That way, you could stay in the city and look for a job without taking Helga anywhere." Helga's smile widened.

"Yeah, how 'bout it, Mom?" she asked, sounding hopeful. Miriam looked from one kid to another, a doubtful expression on her face.

"Well, I don't know . . . " she began. "I really thought it would be better if we were away from Bob for a while." Charlotte came closer as Arnold shook his head, smiling.

"But you WILL be away from him, Mrs. Pataki." he argued. "If we tell Grandpa about your situation, then he can make sure that your husband doesn't get near either one of you." Charlotte shook her head decidedly.

"I'm sorry, but I think it would be for the best for everyone if they just came home with me." she said, making the kids exchange worried glances. "Besides, Miriam couldn't afford to stay at your boarding house for long." Miriam nodded.

"She's right. I've only got a little money saved, and I don't know how long that has to last us. I'm sorry, Arnold. There's no way we can stay with you." But Arnold was shaking his head again.

"There has to be a way to work this out." he said, sounding determined. "Couldn't we at least go home and talk to my Grandpa about this? Please? I'm sure he can come up with something. Please, Mrs. Pataki?"

Helga was shocked to hear how determined Arnold sounded. He really didn't want her to go. Tears threatened again as she looked at him, smiling. He looked back at her and smiled back.

Miriam thought for a moment, then shrugged.

"I suppose it wouldn't hurt to go over and talk about it." she said finally, making the kids smile. "Just to find out." Helga smiled widely and threw her arms around her mother again.

"Thanks, Mom." she whispered. "I'm sure Arnold's grandfather can come up with something." Miriam smiled and hugged her daughter back.

"We'll see, Helga." she said. "We'll see." Mother and daughter hugged for a moment longer, then pulled back. "Char, could you drive us over?" Charlotte smiled, nodding.

"Of course, Mims. Everyone pile in!" she called, and started to buckle Angelica into her car seat. Harold and Stinky exchanged a glance, then walked over to their friends.

"Hey, Arnold?" Harold said as he approached his friend. "Me and Stinky are gonna take off, okay? You guys can handle things from here." Arnold smiled as Helga stood and walked toward them.

"Okay, Harold. Thanks for your help." he said. "You too Stinky." The two boys smiled.

"Aw, shucks, Arnold." Stinky said, waving a hand. "Weren't nothing."

"I wanna thank you guys, too." Helga said quietly. "For promising not to tell anyone about . . . you know." The boys were surprised to hear Helga like this. She sounded so calm, so subdued. So grateful.

"Sure, Helga." Harold said, slightly blushing. "We won't tell anyone." Stinky nodded.

"Yeah, we promised, and we don't break our promises." Helga smiled again.

"Thank you. You don't know how much that means to me." she said softly. Harold and Stinky exchanged another glance, then looked back, smiling.

"No problem, Helga." Harold said as Stinky nodded.

"Yeah, our lips are zipped. We'll see you guys later, okay?" he called as they began to walk away. The other kids waved as the boys left, then climbed into Charlotte's minivan.

"DREW!" she shouted into the house. "WE'RE GOING!"

Her husband, who had been bringing Miriam's suitcases downstairs, piled them inside the house and shut the door. He climbed into the van and got a condensed version of the events that had happened when he was inside.

Arnold led them to the boarding house, and showed them inside. He showed them to the living room, then ran to find his grandfather. He found the older man upstairs, fiddling with the telephone.

"Grandpa!" Arnold cried, making the man jump slightly. "I've got to talk to you."

"Shoot it at me, Short Man." Phil said, going back to the pieces of the phone sitting on the table.

"There are some people downstairs who are interested in renting a room." Arnold began. "But they're having some . . . family problems right now. I was wondering if you could work something out with them." Phil looked at his grandson with an eyebrow raised.

"Okay, Arnold. I think you'd better tell me the story. The WHOLE story."

Arnold did. He told his Grandpa everything he knew, (leaving out the part about Helga's feelings for him). Afterwards, Phil stroked his chin, deep in thought.

"That's quite a problem, Short Man." he said quietly. "But are you sure you want us to get in the middle of a family problem?" Arnold nodded confidently.

"Yeah. I am." the boy said. "They need help, Grandpa. And Helga's a friend. I want to help her through this." Phil looked closely at his grandson for a moment. A smile slowly worked its way across his face.

"You sound like you've taken a shine to this girl, Short Man." he said, a laugh in his voice. "Is that the reason you want them to stay?" Arnold blushed slightly, but didn't look away.

"I guess that might have a part in this. But they really do need help, Grandpa. If you don't help them, they'll have to leave the city." Phil looked at him a moment longer, then sighed.

"All right, Arnold." he said, putting aside the dissected telephone. "I'll go down and talk to them. But I'm not making any promises." Arnold smiled.

"Thanks, Grandpa." he said, hugging the older man. "You're the greatest." Phil smiled as he patted his grandson's head.

"Yeah, I know." he said. "Let's get this over with fast. My stories are coming on soon." Arnold smiled again, and followed his grandfather downstairs.

"All right!" Phil said as he entered the living room. "My grandson tells me somebody wants to rent a room. Why don't we adults hash out the details, while Arnold takes the young sprouts into the kitchen for a snack?" Arnold nodded, smiling.

"C'mon guys." he said as he took Angelica by the hand. "Let's let them talk." He led the others to the kitchen as his grandfather sat down to talk to the other adults.

In the kitchen, the kids sat quietly while they ate their snacks. Even Angelica was quiet as she sat next to Helga. Arnold was on the other side of Helga, and he smiled reassuringly at her whenever she glanced at him. They could hear the voices of the adults in the other room; Miriam's soft, almost timid voice, Grandpa's crackly voice as he asked questions, Charlotte's sharp, determined voice when she said something to defend her sister. Drew's calming voice, in an attempt to soothe his wife.

After about half an hour, Phil called the kids back into the room. Each child wore an expression of worry on their face, scared of what the decision would be. The adults were smiling, with Miriam and Charlotte hugging.

"So, what happened?" Helga asked, sounding a little scared. "Do we stay, or do we go?" Miriam released her sister, and turned to her daughter.

"We're staying, honey." she said as she took her little girl into her arms. She hugged Helga tightly. "Phil is very nice. He offered me a job here. He wants me to help his wife out with all the chores of the house. In exchange, we can stay at a greatly reduced rate." Helga smiled and hugged her mother back.

"That's great!" she exclaimed. Arnold moved near his grandfather as he watched the two hug.

"Thanks, Grandpa." he whispered. "That was really nice." Phil looked down at his grandson, a slight smile touching the corners of his mouth.

"Yeah, well, Pookie needs the help." he said, trying to sound nonchalant. "That's not the ONLY help she needs, but what are ya gonna do?" Arnold laughed softly.

"Well, what are we standing around here for?" Helga asked as Miriam let her go. "Let's go and get our stuff!" She dragged her mother out to the minivan with the other kids following. Drew and Charlotte talked quietly, then Drew walked up to Phil.

"Thank you for doing this, we really appreciate it." he said, shaking the older man's hand. Phil shrugged.

"Eh. It was nothing. We needed another set of hands around here, anyway." Drew nodded, and gave Phil's hand one more firm shake. Then he left to take the Pataki's home to gather their belongings.

Once her husband was on his way with Miriam and the kids, Charlotte approached Phil with her hand offered.

"Thank you for giving her this opportunity, Mr . . . ?"

"Just call me Phil. Everyone else does." Charlotte nodded as the two shook hands.

"All right, Phil. Thank you for taking Miriam in like this. I know she seems a little, well, timid, but you don't know the kind of life she had for so many years. This will be very good for her. And it will be only until she can get on her feet and find another job." Phil nodded.

"I know." he said, surprising the woman. "I just want to give her something to do so she can get her self confidence worked up. She doesn't really seem to have a lot of self esteem, does she?" Charlotte shook her head sadly.

"I'm afraid not. She used to be so different. But then she married HIM and she just . . . " She shrugged. "I don't know. She changed. But once HE'S out of their lives, everything will be different. Miriam will be much happier, Helga will act differently, and Bob won't be able to control their lives anymore."

"Well, everyone around here can be kinda looney, but basically they're all harmless. And my family will help your sister any way we can." Phil said. Charlotte smiled.

"Thank you. I was actually quite surprised when your grandson suggested we come here. I know how Helga acted, and I'm sure she probably picked on him. Not many kids would have willingly suggested bringing her into their home. He's quite a young man." Phil smiled proudly.

"Yep. That's Arnold. Ready to take on the problems of the world. He's got a good heart." Charlotte nodded.

"Yes, he does." she agreed. "So, why don't you show me where my little sister and my niece will be staying? They'll get the best room, of course." she said with a hint of a smile. Phil laughed as he led the woman to the stairs.

"Well, I can't exactly promise that, but I can promise that they'll have a couple of walls and roof over their heads." Charlotte laughed, as they climbed to the second floor.

"And they'll get fed every once and a while, depending on what time they get up in the morning." he continued, then muttered, "if you can call what Pookie makes 'food', that is."

"Not a great cook?" Charlotte asked as they walked to the end of the hall. Phil shrugged.

"Well, sometimes she just likes to . . . experiment. But no one's ever landed in the hospital because of her cooking." he said as they reached door #16. "Yet."

Phil took a passkey from his pocket and unlocked the door.

"Once they're moved in, they'll have their own key for the room." he explained as they walked inside. "I have key's to all the rooms, but so far I've never had to use them, other than showing the rooms to interested renters."

Charlotte nodded as she looked over the apartment. It was a pretty nice place for the amount of money Phil had agreed to.

"This is the only room with a private shower, built specifically for Mr. Smith. He moved a few months ago, for reasons unknown." Phil explained as they moved through the rooms. "There's a small kitchen area in all the apartments, but there is no cooking allowed, other than the little things. You know like popcorn, or making soup or something. Everything else has to be done in the downstairs kitchen." Charlotte was nodding.

"Well, Miriam was never what you would call a gourmet chef." she said, looking at the little kitchen. "She only made what HE liked. I guess now she can 'experiment' too." Phil smiled.

"Well, in that case, I think her and Pookie would get along just fine." he said, laughing. Charlotte laughed with him, and soon the two were continuing with the tour.

~End of Part 5~


	6. Chapter 6

**Part 6:**

**Life Goes On**

Sammy returned home a week after the Pataki women moved into the Sunset Arms boarding house. Miriam was helping Grandma out around the house, and building her self-confidence and self-esteem daily. She smiled a lot more, and wasn't afraid to speak her mind during discussions.

Charlotte and her family had stuck around until they were sure the two were settled, then packed up and headed for home.

Helga was starting to get used to the idea of not having to keep her secret any longer, and was happier than she had been in a long time. She and Arnold were spending time together, and this helped calm her down a little more.

Arnold was starting to see past the whole 'bully' persona Helga had been showing for as long as he could remember, and was now seeing the sensitive girl beneath. He discovered how nice and funny she actually was, and was a little surprised to find that he was enjoying his time with her.

The two kids spent most of the week talking and getting to know each other. Helga's feelings for Arnold deepened past the obsession stage, and began to develop into real love. Arnold was starting to feel genuine affection toward his former tormentor, surprising him. The two enjoyed each other's company very much.

Sammy arrived in the city after her week with her family feeling tired and glad to be home. She loved her parents and siblings, and had good relationships with all of them. But spending any more than a few hours with them tended to remind her just WHY she had moved out in the first place.

She pulled her little purple car to stop in her small driveway, and climbed out. She put her hands to the small of her back and stretched. Her spine crackled slightly, making her smile.

"Woo boy," she muttered. "What a week."

Her cats meowed loudly from the back seat, (they weren't in pet carriers), so she opened the back door. Two felines streaked out, nearly knocking the redhead over in the process.

"Cripes, guys!" she called after them. "You should have gone before we left!"

The two toms climbed the few steps on her front porch, and stood at the door, crying. The librarian shook her head as she pulled her bags from the back seat, brushing off a fine layer of cat hair.

"Jeezum crow," she muttered, hefting the straps over her shoulder. "Those two should be totally bald with the amount of hair they lose."

She climbed the steps on her porch, unlocked and opened her front door, and stepped aside as her pets shot inside, heading for their litter boxes. Once inside, she tossed her bags in the corner, planning to unpack later.

"Hello, house!" she called.

"Hello, Sammy!" a voice called back. The redhead stopped, a questioning look on her face.

"Okay, the house doesn't usually answer me . . ." she told herself. Laughter came from the front door. She turned with a smile; she knew that voice.

"Do you enjoy playing with my sanity?" the redhead asked as Helga came inside. The blonde girl smiled as she hugged her older friend.

"Naturally," she replied. "I have to get my kicks SOMEHOW." Sammy laughed.

"You poor girl," she said sarcastically. "With no one to torment all week. Oh, whatever did you do?"

"Well, she spent a lot of time with me," a voice called from the doorway. Helga and Sam pulled apart, and Arnold walked in, smiling.

"Hi, Arnold," Sammy greeted. "She was tormenting you all week?" The kids laughed slightly.

"Not really," he said, moving next to Helga. They looked at each other and smiled. Sammy raised an eyebrow at the two.

"Okay, I feel like I walked in on the middle of a movie," she said, moving the kids into the living room. "You two are gonna sit down, get comfortable, and tell me what happened this week."

Once everyone was seated comfortably, the kids began telling their tale. Sammy listened silently, totally in shock by all the excitement. Her pets had finished at their litter boxes and wandered in, looking much happier and very relieved. Bug took his usual spot on Helga's lap, while Weed chose to honor Arnold with his company.

"Good lord," the redhead muttered after the kids had finished. "I leave town for a week and look at all the stuff I miss!" The two young blondes smiled at each other again, then looked back at Sammy.

"I still can't believe all this is happening," Helga said while petting the animal in her lap. "I'm afraid that this is all a dream and I'll wake up to my real life." Sammy smiled.

"I don't think it's a dream, Helga," she told her young friend. "Number one, I don't think you can question yourself in a dream. Number two; dreams don't usually have obvious plots like this. And number three; we're all sitting here having a conversation that makes sense. I'm usually sitting in some weird classroom in my dreams, and the conversations make absolutely NO sense." The kids laughed.

"Yeah, that's true," Arnold agreed. "I don't think you're dreaming, Helga. And if you are, you're one heck of a deep sleeper!" Helga laughed, jostling the cat in her lap.

"You have to be a deep sleeper to live in MY house!" she giggled. "Bob could wake the dead in AUSTRALIA with his snores!" Arnold and Sammy laughed.

"I'll bet!" the young boy agreed. As they continued to laugh, Sammy's thoughts turned to the big man in question.

_With Helga and Miriam living at the Boarding House, _she thought, _he's all alone at the Pataki residence. I wonder how he's doing. I wonder if he's lonely. I wonder if he realizes just WHY the girls left in the first place._

Arnold and Helga were telling Sammy about the various things they had done during the week, bringing the redhead out of her thoughts.

Meanwhile, back at the Pataki household, Big Bob was trying to get in touch with his estranged wife once more. Grandpa had had a meeting with all the other boarders, and gave them explicit instructions to not let Bob speak to or come anywhere near his wife and daughter. The boarders were cooperating because they had become somewhat attached to the friendly blonde woman in a surprisingly short period of time. And they knew of Big Bob Pataki's attitude.

"Whadda ya mean she's not there?" the big man bellowed into the phone. This was his third attempt at reaching Miriam today. "Every time I call there somebody different answers and tells me that she's not there! It's NOON for criminey's sake! She usually doesn't even wake up until now!"

"I am sorry, Mr. Pataki," Mr. Hyunh said over the phone. "But she is not here. Perhaps I can take a message?" Bob rolled his eyes and ran his fingers through his hair again. He found himself doing that a lot more often lately.

"Listen up, pal," he growled into the receiver. "I know my wife is there, and I know you're lying to me. No one keeps anything away from Big Bob Pataki! So just go and get her and put her on! NOW!"

There was a sudden burst of static as Mr. Hyunh told the rude man on the other end of the line exactly what he thought of him. Unfortunately Bob would never know what the other man said because Mr. Hyunh had slipped into Vietnamese, his native tongue, in his incredible anger. There was a loud, sharp click as Mr. Hyunh slammed the phone back in its cradle.

"Oh, I don't believe this!" Bob cried, slamming down his own phone. "Can't people just mind their own business anymore?" He stalked into the kitchen and looked around.

Dishes were piled high in the sink. The counters were filthy. All the cabinet doors were open, or ajar, baring their empty shelves for all to see. He went to the fridge and pulled the door open. Its shelves were just as empty as the cabinet's.

"Criminey," he muttered. "Look at this place. There's no food, no clean dishes, and I haven't had a decent home cooked meal in a week. Those loonies over at that boarding house won't let me even TALK to Miriam, let alone see her. How could all this happen in such a short amount of time?"

The big man stood in his messy kitchen for a moment longer, trying to think of something to do. There had to be some way out of this mess. There had to be an answer. Suddenly, an idea flashed.

"That'll work," Bob muttered as he picked up the phone and began dialing. "No problem. Everything will be back to normal soon."

Meanwhile, the kids were just about to leave Sammy's house. They gently dropped the cats from their laps, and started toward the door.

"Mom's making supper by herself tonight," Helga was saying. "She's pretty excited about it."

"But didn't she make supper while she was home?" Sammy asked. Helga shrugged.

"She says it's different at the boarding house. She says the people there pay more attention to what they eat, rather than wolfing it down like a certain other person did. So, she's more careful about what she cooks." Arnold nodded.

"The boarders can have some pretty wide ranged tastes," he added. "And I think they're glad to get a break from Grandma's cooking." The redhead laughed softly.

"No offense, Arnold," she started. "But your grandmother isn't exactly the best cook." The boy smiled and nodded.

"I know," he agreed. "But she means well. She's just a little . . . different, that's all." Sammy sighed and nodded.

"Yeah, she is," the librarian said as she walked the kids out. "Well, you two have fun, and keep me posted on the happenings, okay?" The kids smiled at their older friend.

"You bet, Sammy," Helga assured her. Arnold nodded.

"Yeah, no problem." The boy thought for a moment, then turned to the redhead once more. "Sammy?"

"Yeah, Arnold?"

"You're welcome to join us for dinner tonight, if you like," he told her, making Helga smile widely.

"Yeah!" the girl exclaimed. "Will you come, Sam? I'd love to have you there! And I'm sure Mom would like to see you, too!" Sammy appeared to think for a minute, then nodded, smiling.

"That sounds really nice, kids," she agreed. "I think I'd like that. Just be sure to ask the adults if it's okay. I don't want to intrude." Both blondes rolled their eyes identically.

"Sammy, you've gotta stop thinking you're an outsider," Helga sighed. Arnold nodded.

"Yeah," he agreed. "You're as much a member of our families as anyone else is. You're always welcome at the boarding house." A blush worked its way across Sammy's round face.

"Thanks, kids," she said, smiling. "You really know how to make me feel good." She gave the kids a quick hug, and smiled wider as they hugged her back.

"Okay," she announced after a moment of loving hugs. "That's enough mushy stuff. You guys check with your respective parent and/or grandparent, and let me know what's going on." The fourth graders nodded.

"Okay, Sammy," Arnold agreed, then turned to Helga. "We'd better get going. We still have to stop at the store and pick up some milk and bread before heading home." Helga's eyes widened slightly.

"Oh, that's right!" she said, slapping her forehead comically. "I almost forgot. We'll see you later, Sammy!" The redhead waved as the kids took off toward the bus stop, laughter floating into the summer air.

A few hours later, the occupants of the boarding house were sitting down to a lovely meal prepared by the newest addition to their 'non-traditional' family. Sammy was sitting between Ernie and Mr. Hyunh, and was prepared to act as peacekeeper during the dinner. Helga and Arnold were sitting next to each other, with Helga right across from her redheaded friend. Miriam and Grandma were bringing out the last of the meal, (they had forbidden Sammy from helping), and the blonde woman was beaming.

"Here you go everyone," she called as she placed the last dish on the table. "I hope you all enjoy it." Everyone at the table smiled politely at the nervous woman.

"Well, you heard the lady!" Grandpa cried, breaking the silence. "Let's dig in before I get any older!" A short laugh answered him as the different foods were passed around.

Miriam barely ate anything as she watched the boarders' faces while they tasted their dinner. Her heart beat wildly as she watched the diners take that first bite. Her breath caught as they chewed. She waited hopefully . . . fearfully . . . and then . . . . . .

They smiled.

"This is excellent, Miriam," Sammy said, dabbing the corners of her mouth with her napkin. "I don't believe I've ever tasted anything so delicious." The men on either side of her were nodding in agreement.

"Yeah," Ernie said, taking another forkful. "This is great stuff!"

"It is very good," Mr. Hyunh agreed. "Very tasty!"

"Really?" Miriam asked hopefully. "You're not just saying that?" Grandpa shook his head.

"Miss, after eating Pookie's cooking for all these years, it's great to have a meal that actually tastes like it's SUPPOSED to taste!" Grandma shot her husband an annoyed look, then smiled.

"You just wait, pardner," she told him with a sly grin. "You'll get yours." Grandpa rolled his eyes.

"Whatever Pookie," he answered, bringing laughter from the others at the table. "Just don't warp this little lady's mind and wonderful cooking skills with your 'recipes', okay?" Pookie glared at her husband for a moment, then stuck her tongue out at him.

"Nice retort," he commented, bringing fresh laughter over the table.

As the dinner progressed, Miriam and Helga felt more and more accepted by the boarders. For once in their lives, they felt cared about and appreciated for who they were. They weren't afraid to speak their minds, and their opinions weren't simply dismissed as 'silly'. Leaving Big Bob had freed Miriam's spirit, and shown Helga that she was a worthwhile person. No one confused her name at the boarding house.

Back at the Pataki household, Bob was just finishing off his pizza when a cab pulled up out front. He smiled.

"Daddy!" a voice squeaked as the front door flew open. He was out of his chair and headed for the front hall when his older daughter rounded the corner and threw her arms around him in a rib-crushing hug.

"Olga!" he cried, hugging her back. "Good to see you, girl!" They hugged a moment longer, then pulled back. Tears were streaming down the young blonde's cheeks.

"Daddy," she sobbed. "What happened?" Bob rolled his eyes as he headed back to his chair.

"Oh, your mother is throwing a fit about something or other," he said, sitting down. "Her blowhard of a sister came in last week and convinced her that she wanted a divorce. She took the girl and they're staying at that other kid's house. The one with the head."

"Arnold?" Olga offered. Bob nodded.

"Yeah, Alfred," he agreed. "Anyway, they're over there right now, and none of the crazies that live there will let me talk to her!" Olga patted her father's hand, reassuringly.

"Don't worry, Daddy," she soothed, smiling. "I'm going over there right now and talking to Mummy. I'm sure we can get this whole icky mess all straightened out, and then she and Helga will come home and everything will be back to normal!" Bob smiled.

"That a girl, Olga," he said. "I knew I could count on you to fix everything."

Father and daughter hugged once more, then Olga left for the boarding house. Her face was set and determined, making her look very similar to her little sister when the girl put her mind to something. She arrived almost 20 minutes later. Ernie answered her knock.

"Yeah?"

"Excuse me," Olga said politely. "But is Miriam Pataki in?" Ernie looked at the young woman, eyes narrowed.

"Maybe," his gruff voice answered. "Who's askin'?"

"I'm her elder daughter, Olga. I'm sure she's mentioned me." Ernie cocked his head as he thought.

"Nope," he replied after a moment. Olga looked at the short man, perplexed.

"Are you sure?" she asked. "She's never mentioned me?" The man in the doorway shook his head.

"The only daughter of Mims that I know about is Helga," he answered. "She never said she HAD another kid." The blonde stared at him. She was speechless. She might have stood there and stared at the man for the rest of the night if her mother hadn't come to the door.

"Olga!" the woman exclaimed happily. "What are you doing here, honey?"

"I . . uh . ." her daughter stammered. Ernie nodded and turned to Miriam.

"Well, I guess she's here to see you," he said and went back inside to help with the after dinner dishes. Miriam hugged her still shocked older daughter, and gently pulled her inside.

"So tell me Olga," she said as she sat the younger blonde down. "What brings you by?"

"Daddy called me," Olga replied through lips that felt numb. Miriam's sunny smile suddenly clouded over.

"Oh," she replied coolly. "I should have known."

"Mummy, what happened?" Olga asked, tears threatening. "Why are you and Helga staying here? Daddy said Aunt Charlotte visited last week, and she told you to divorce him!" Miriam rolled her eyes.

"Typical," she muttered. Olga was taken aback by the sheer liveliness in her mother now. She had never seen the older blonde like this. "That's just like Bob to put all the blame on someone else."

"But he said . . ."

"Olga, listen to me," Miriam said softly, but sternly. "I know you love your father, but you have to remember that sometimes he doesn't tell the COMPLETE truth. Sometimes he only tells people what HE wants them to hear." Olga shook her head.

"Daddy wouldn't do that," she protested. Miriam nodded slowly.

"Yes he would, and he has," she told the young woman. "That's why he's so successful as a salesman."

"But Mummy," Olga whined. Miriam shook her head decisively.

"But nothing, Olga," she said sternly. "Before you start to cry, I want you to listen to MY side of it." Olga sighed and nodded.

"All right," she agreed. "Tell me your side."

Miriam took a deep breath, collected her thoughts, and told her first born everything she had been through with Big Bob Pataki.

~End of part 6~


End file.
